Tag: cheese sauce

I must admit that I used to be firmly in the “if it doesn’t count towards something I’m not using it camp” and then two things happened – I came face to face with high school students and I started writing recipes for Child Nutrition. That is where my transition started.

Secondary students are basically adults that can eat more than we can on any given day, which makes them hungry all of the time. Look at a serving of macaroni and cheese using a 2 M/MA sauce and 2 whole grain ounce equivalents it is underwhelming in size. However if you use a flavorful cheese sauce that doesn’t count you have the same portion size but then add 2 M/MA such as diced ham, fajita chicken or BBQ pulled pork and you have something worthy of their appetites with little added cost. The same goes for vegetarian options. Change up the spice profile and add peppers and beans and you have something new and different to offer.

Another option, staying with the mac and cheese example, is to use it simply as a grain. When the menu calls for another whole grain it is easy to just add a dinner roll or breadstick. However a side of mac and cheese using a non-claimable cheese sauce accomplishes the same thing and works wonderfully, for example, if serving bone in chicken. Looking to the South, pulled pork doesn’t have to be served on a bun. Imagine a plate with pulled pork, mac and cheese, and greens. It all fits into the guidelines and you have a terrific comfort food lunch!

Do I hear “what about the added sodium?” Foothill Farms has cheese sauces that are moderate in sodium – around 220 mg per serving – in their Flavorwise line of products. Since the sodium target is weekly, with planning, these cheese sauces can fit into your menu. In elementary programs sodium is occasionally an issue but I don’t find the struggle when working with secondary programs. Since students would enjoy the addition of cheese sauce it takes some planning but isn’t anything to shy away from.

Getting Creative with Cheese Sauce

There are so many ways cheese sauce can enhance menu items. The simplest being as a dip for raw or cooked vegetables. There are vegetables that your students prefer and it is a struggle to present them in a different way so that they continue to eat them every day. I am not saying to offer cheese sauce every day however it is an alternate to Ranch Dressing. By adding Sriracha or chipotle to the cheese sauce you have a new dipping sauce that will get kids talking.

Getting creative, another example that comes to mind is the Chicken Nachos. It is a simple recipe with tortilla chips, diced chicken, cheese sauce and salsa and check out the sodium – 498 mg. You can easily offer toppings without negatively changing the overall nutritional profile such as diced red and green peppers, green onions, black olive slices and, if you wanted to add a vegetable component, either black or pinto beans – whole or refried. As you can see very doable!

And for the possible doubters out there here is a full day’s menu including the refried beans so, yes, it can be done! While you may want some additional fruit and vegetable choices, it shouldn’t impact the sodium noticeably.

Another option that I really like – Mexican pizza! Layer on top of the whole grain crust refried beans mixed with salsa as the “sauce” and top with taco meat. Bake and, immediately before serving, top with chopped lettuce and tomatoes and drizzle with cheese sauce. Excellent flavor with crisp vegetables and the cheese sauce completes the entrée with a splash of color and flavor.

I could keep throwing out ideas but you can see that I have become a believer! Everything you use does not have to count toward the meal pattern. To me, it is more important to bring students back to our programs with interesting, tasteful foods that show we can meet the guidelines while being innovative!

Want to see how easy it is to make three staple ingredients (Cheese Sauce, Gravy, and Ranch Dressing) and ignite those creative juices? Watch our chef!

Restaurants, K-12 schools, healthcare and college dining halls have diverse menus and making fresh sauces and dressings from scratch can seem unimaginable. Grabbing a RTU jug and pouring it into serving containers seems like the easiest and most efficient use of time and definitely the safest choice when it comes to flavor and outcome. Agree? Not altogether. Plus, depending on your culinary staff, you might be depleting morale by limiting their freedom in the kitchen. There’s a better option. Utilizing a dry mix can capture the essence of scratch cooking yet save time and not harness your culinary professionals’ creativity and experience.

Learn how to mix our most popular products in just a few easy steps.

Want to see how easy it is to make three staple ingredients (Cheese Sauce, Gravy, and Ranch Dressing) and ignite those creative juices? You will discover just how customizable dry mix products can be with the simple addition of herbs, spices or vegetables. Made fresh fare is perceived as higher quality by customers and they are willing to pay more for it. Therefore, taking the 60 seconds to combine these mixes with water, or in the case of Ranch adding mayonnaise and buttermilk, is totally worthwhile. We like to call it – Speed Scratch.

For example, ranch dressing can be transformed easily into over 45 delicious recipes. From fresh salads to unique sandwich toppers, ranch rates on the top of the popularity scale for chefs and diners alike. To spark your imagination think Thai Ranch Dressing, Mojito Ranch Dressing, and Sriracha Honey Ranch. The same goes for cheese sauce. Everything is better with cheese, right? Just ask your food friends in the pantry and fridge waiting for the popular add-in or topper: potatoes, pasta, pizza, hot dogs, tortilla chips and fresh vegetables, among others. Lastly, instant gravy mix takes the most difficult part of mixing gravy out of the equation; getting the flour to butter/oil and water mixture consistent each time (not to mention the flavor). The guess work is removed as minutes turn into seconds for a finished product and the amount of recipes that utilize gravy mix is mind-blowing. Check out these ideas.

There will always be room on the menu for hot dogs with the traditional ketchup and mustard toppings. Imagine turning everyday beef hot dogs into extraordinary “haute” dogs with the addition of ingredients like a wide variety of cheese sauces, roasted poblano chiles, fried okra, or roasted purple cabbage, to name just a few.

Let’s start with a few soon-to-be favorites like the Carolina Dog and the Philly Dog. The Carolina Dog features pulled pork, sautéed onions, fried okra, and Carolina Cheese Sauce made with Foothill Farms® Cheese Sauce Instant Mix. Using the same cheese sauce instant mix, take a quick trip to Philadelphia for a Philly Dog loaded with cheese sauce, sautéed peppers, onions, and hot sauce. Why not add a “steak roll” bun to complete the Philadelphia experience? Our dry mix cheese sauces keep the preparation and execution of recipes easy, while still allowing an endless variety of tempting recipes.

Feeling like spicing up the hot dog menu a little? Heat things up a bit with our Chipotle Dog with its roasted pablano chiles, red onion, and chipotle cheddar sauce made with Extra Sharp Cheese Sauce Instant Mix. You can also prepare the Mariachi Dog with the same extra sharp cheese sauce, adding chili con queso to the recipe to keep this dog dancing with flavor. Using the same dry mix base helps keep the menu versatile while keeping tabs on cost control, which is something every foodservice operator can appreciate.

18 Ways to Excite Your Hot Dog Menu

Change mac & cheese from just a side dish to a new hot dog sensation with the Blues Dog featuring blue cheese cheddar sauce made with Three Cheese Mac & Cheese Sauce Instant Mix, blue cheese and bacon. Using the same mix with perhaps a younger diner in mind, make our simple, yet delicious twist on traditional macaroni and cheese via the Mac & Cheese dog. Two simple concepts combine: hot dogs and delicious mac & cheese!

Now that you have turned your hot dogs into something special with different toppings ideas and cheese sauces, why not do the same for your burger menu? “Haute” burgers, anyone? All of these recipes can be used for your burger menu, too and were pulled from our 18 Haute Builds For Hot Dogs flyer. Foothill Farms® offers the cheese sauce products and recipes to turn the everyday dog into an unexpected culinary delight. Whether your menu is sweet, spicy, cheesy, light or hearty, there is a “haute” dog for the occasion and a cheese sauce that steps up the recipe.

For chefs, creating a signature macaroni and cheese menu item can be intimidating because of its known popularity and strict critics. With a little imagination and some simple ingredients, Foothill Farms helps you create unique recipes that appeal to every appetite.

From traditional to gourmet, Mac & Cheese is evolving!

You have grown up but has your “Mac & Cheese”? Macaroni and cheese is thought to have been around since before 1769, according to an article by SmithsonianMag.com. From its simplest form as plain macaroni noodles coated in melted American cheese to the introduction of additional ingredients, “Mac & Cheese” is still a staple on U.S. menus.

A creamy, indulgent, comfort food with a rich lobster flavor.

For chefs, creating a signature macaroni and cheese menu item can be intimidating because of its known popularity and strict critics, some of which are under 10! The sauce consistency is important – not too thick and not too thin. Some desire a mellow flavor while others like to taste something unique. Our Three Cheese Mac and Cheese Sauce mix was designed to give those wanting to stay the course a delicious, satisfyingly simple pasta dish. For those ready to indulge, adding extra ingredients like bacon, vegetables, varieties of grated cheeses, and using a different sauce can turn a simple Mac & Cheese dish into a rich memorable experience. A perfect example is Lobster Mac & Cheese. It incorporates chunked lobster meat, béchamel sauce and white cheddar to make a luscious sauce that combines with your choice of pasta noodles and bakes with a Caesar bread crumb topping.

What about on a sandwich?

Macaroni and cheese doesn’t have to stay in the bowl! Some chefs are beginning to experiment with this 2 ½ century old staple. Traditionally, bread is served alongside pasta but what about serving pasta between bread? Our Chef Martin has created a recipe that does just that – Alfredo Pepperoni Mac ‘N Grilled Cheese! The recipe starts with an Alfredo based macaroni and cheese and incorporates spicy pepperoni that is placed between two slices of Texas toast and griddled until golden brown. The results are nothing short of outstanding!

Don’t forget the newest hot trend – Sriracha sauce! The benefit of using a dry mix is that you can easily kick up a sauce mix by adding extra ingredients like steak sauce, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce. In fact, a signature version of “Mac & Cheese” can be made using any of our unique cheese sauces recipes: Cheddar Cheese Steak Sauce, Chipotle Cheddar, KC, or Memphis Cheese Sauce to name a few.

Perfect Monterey Jack Mac & Cheese

With a little imagination and some simple ingredients, you can create unique recipes for macaroni and cheese that appeals to every appetite. What do you think about Mac, Cheese & Waffles?

Healthy indulgent menus that include cheese sauce have customers coming back for more.

Finding the right mix between eating healthy and indulging in rich, calorie-laden dishes can be a tough balancing act. Consumers desire flavorful and satisfying dishes but also want those meals to keep them on the right track nutritionally. What’s a foodservice provider to do? In tennis, players aim for the sweet spot on the racket. In foodservice, we can do the same! The sweet spot on a plate is the place where flavor and nutritional elements combine to make a harmonious blend of great taste and healthy ingredients. Achieving both culinary goals will keep your customers fulfilled and coming back again.

One of the ways to keep indulgence on the menu is by enhancing nutritional food items like vegetables or whole grain rice and pastas with pops of flavor. Specifically, pumping up the flavor with cheesy goodness! Adding an element of creamy cheese sauce elevates “just healthy” to “now we’re talking”! Try whole wheat pasta topped with Three Cheese Mac & Cheese sauce. A perfect example of yummy nutrition. Whole wheat goodness and smooth cheese sauce combine to provide a vehicle for nutritious elements, perhaps by also adding sautéed vegetables or a protein such as chicken or tuna.

When talking about healthy indulgence, let’s talk sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are very high in Vitamin A and B12. In addition, sweet potatoes provide some additional health benefits like regulating blood sugar, providing magnesium which helps lower stress levels, and aiding digestion with the fiber it provides. What’s the best thing about sweet potatoes? They make great fries, either cooked in light oil, baked as fries, or served baked like a traditional potato. The indulgent part of this dish is Cheddar Cheese Steak Sauce served on the side for dipping fries or topping a baked sweet potato. The rich undertones of steak sauce blends well with the cheddar cheese sauce creating a delicious match for sweet potatoes.

Spicy, creamy dip perfect for chips.

Dipping healthy items such as sliced vegetables and baked chips in Pepper Jack Queso is a great way to serve a nutritious side dish, or perhaps even an appetizer. Baked chips are a great bang for the buck, flavor wise and health wise, and are extra satisfying with this spicy, creamy cheese sauce dip. Zucchini strips, sliced carrots, diced yellow and red peppers are all improved with a cheese flavor boost and serving it on the side keeps the guest in charge of portion control.

Wanting a main dish featuring a vegetable your guests will love? Roasted Cauliflower Steaks which are made by slicing the vegetable head in half, quickly searing, and then roasting in the oven with seasonings is a unique dish that keeps health in mind, deliciously. Served with a blue cheese sauce, this dish has a rich flavor that is still indulgent with a blue cheese exclamation mark. Of course, raw or cooked cauliflower is always healthy and indulgent with a cheddar cheese sauce topper: another great option for healthier fare. There is no limit to that application: green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or practically any other vegetable you can think of is improved by cheese sauce. And for every vegetable you can think of, there is a variation of cheese sauce to match your mood.

Drizzle Cheese Sauce Over Fresh Vegetables

Keeping your menu healthy and indulgent at the same time is critical to today’s food consumers who are very interested in making good food choices. Keeping that balance has never been easier with so many options available to prepare nutritious and tasty fare. Go for the sweet spot on the plate and the results will set your dish above “just” healthy to “wonderfully” healthy.

As you can imagine, there are easily 101 applications for cheese sauce. Our foodservice recipe page contains many recipes to spark your creativity. Try our Ultimate Nachos, Honey Mustard Cheese Sauce, traditional Mac & Cheese and Loaded Cheese Fries. Operators like products that allow for customization and dry mix is the solution. Having a few classic or signature cheese sauces on-hand allows chefs to adapt recipes to satisfy patrons on a daily basis. For example, mix Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce with our Cheese Sauce to get a complete different and signature flavor that is great for dipping.

Foothill Farms cheese sauces allow for flexibility and operators can make use of ingredients they have on-hand while reducing preparation time, labor and food costs. Another benefit of dry cheese sauce mix is that they are shelf-stable and packaged in sensible ways that allow operators to mix as much or as little as needed to reduce food waste. For a complete list of our cheese sauce products, please click here.

As a foodservice professional, how do you tap into specific regional dishes that may be unfamiliar to your own local cuisine?

One of the greatest attributes of our great American food nation is the variety and quality of its distinctive regional cuisines. Think of a state and you’ll likely think of a dish for which it is famous. It’s this specific regional appeal that consumers are looking for. What are some great ways to add some regional flare to your menu? Come with us on a trip across the U.S.

NORTH

Starting in the northeast, explore the many variations of clam chowder with New England Clam Chowder , a cream based soup with clams, seafood, and savory potatoes. Manhattan, Rhode Island and New Hampshire each have their own unique regional flavor. Seldom do you think of Maine without picturing a plastic bib with a giant, red lobster on front. Although traditionally steamed or boiled and presented on a platter, it is also an attractive ingredient in pastas like Lobster Mac & Cheese.

A creamy, indulgent, comfort food with a rich lobster flavor.

Massachusetts brings us Boston Baked Beans and New Jersey lush cranberries. Side dishes of signature baked beans or foods utilizing cranberries or cranberry sauce are favorites year-round. Cranberry Nut Bread Pudding is a nice dessert to make a guest’s mouth water.

Two foods that want to claim territory are pizza and wings. A special crust, sauce, or topping will add signature to the menu. Up North, the menu features classic New York Style pizza which is a thin, hand-tossed crust pizza with gooey mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. New Yorkers often buy this favorite by the slice then fold it in half and eat it like a sandwich. Buffalo offers its famous hot wings which consist of a deep-fried, unbreaded wing coated in vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter served alongside celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Moving your menu to Philadelphia allows you to showcase the popular Philly Cheesesteak sandwich with its thinly sliced steak, grilled onions and peppers, served on a roll and topped with melted cheese. This versatile sandwich can become a favorite anywhere in the nation!

MIDWEST

Midwest cuisine brings out the barbeque fan in all of us with its delicious BBQ varieties. Missouri is home to two styles of BBQ: Kansas City and St. Louis style barbeque. Kansas City BBQ uses a variety of meats including pulled pork, ribs, beef brisket, chicken, and turkey that are cooked with sweet tomato and a thick molasses base BBQ sauce. Kansas City’s specialty is called burnt ends, which are the extra crispy tips of cooked beef brisket. St. Louis BBQ features thick-cut pork shoulder steak, which is slathered with a tomato and vinegar BBQ sauce of a thinner and less sweet consistency than Kansas City sauce.

The “Windy City” of Chicago offers a hearty Chicago style deep dish pizza which is made in a cast iron pan dusted with cornmeal. The crust is placed inside to cover the entire bottom and sides of the pan and cheese is sprinkled directly onto the crust followed by meats and vegetables. Smooth tomato sauce is poured over the top before baking and the end result is nothing short of fabulous.

Bring the heart of the South into your kitchen with some Southern regional favorites. Grits, a traditional southern dish made of hominy (ground corn) is made into a porridge. While popularly served for breakfast, grits can be flavored with butter, sugar, or syrup. However, grits are no longer just a breakfast food and have found themselves on the dinner plate, especially when cheese is added. Grits are also commonly used to accompany shrimp as a side dish. Another true Southern favorite is Chicken fried steak or “Country” fried steak, a steak that is breaded and fried like southern fried chicken. Chicken fried steak is served with a country gravy poured over it.

Serve on top of biscuits or Southern chicken fried steak.

Explore New Orleans cuisine on your menu by featuring the Creole or Cajun styles developed in this area, the history of which helps us understand the differences between the two. Creole cuisine is a blend of French, Spanish, Native American, and African traditions and is seen as fancy, classical cuisine because of the aristocratic lineage. Creole cuisine uses fine ingredients, like shrimp and oyster, as well as ingredients that are not native to the region. In contrast, Cajun cuisine uses a simpler more rustic style of food, with entire meals often made in one pot. Wild game like rabbit, duck, crawfish, and alligator are often used in Cajun cooking as these dishes rely on more of the plants and animals native to the region. Cajun cuisine also tends to be spicier than Creole cuisine.

TEXAS (The debate is still out – West or South)

Let’s steer our menu over to the great state of Texas and explore Chili con carne. Chili cook-offs are so popular because there are so many ways to prepare and enjoy chili, and everyone seems to have an opinion. The only ingredients allowed in true Texas chili are chunks of slow cooked steak, chili peppers, cumin, and other spices and this version does not add beans. Sweeter spices like cinnamon and allspice, which are common in Cincinnati chili, are not added to Texas-style chili. A cheesy variation of chili is the addition of creamy melted cheese to create Chili Con Queso. Along with chili recipes are Tex-Mex recipes, which are the fusion of American and Mexican cuisine. Combining flavors from both sides of the border, Tex-Mex meals include nachos and fajitas.

The robust blend of herbs and aromatic spices entices palates with all the flavors of a sizzling summer cookout.

WEST

California is famous for the avocados grown in the Southern regions and currently produces 95% of the national avocado harvest. This fruit has surged in popularity because of its distinctive flavor and nutritional value, including high dietary fiber and protein. Our Mexi-Cali Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing recipe is a light, delicious dish that takes advantage of this California gem. Speaking of ranch dressing, the West also boasts the ever-popular Ranch dressing which was invented in Santa Barbara in the 1950s and has become the most popular salad dressing across all states. The creamy dressing, typically made from buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt, onions, garlic and other seasonings can not only be used as a dressing for salads, but also as a dip for chips.

As a foodservice professional, how do you tap into specific regional dishes that may be unfamiliar to your own local cuisine? Foothill Farms® dry-mix, speed-scratch products will help you do just that. From New England clam chowder to Tex-Mex dishes, our products and recipes will help deliver consistent, flavorful dishes no matter what region your menu features on any given day.